Zhou Strategy Guide

Learn how to conquer Humankind on the highest difficulty using the Zhou strategy. This guide covers early game FIMS bonuses, combat tips, and expansion strategies.

Hey there! So you want to tackle Humankind on the hardest difficulty, huh? Smart move wanting to check out the Zhou strategy. This guide is all about helping you get there, drawing from my own experiences beating the game on the highest setting. Keep in mind, the game's still pretty new, so some of this might change with updates, but the core ideas should stick around.

Humankind Difficulty and General Strategy

Alright, let's break down what makes the highest difficulty tick. The AI gets some sweet bonuses, but don't let that scare you. Here's what they get:

• +3 Food per Farmer in all Cities
• +3 Industry per Worker in all Cities
• +3 Money per Trader in all Cities
• +3 Science per Researcher in all Cities
• +60 Stability on all Cities
• +2 Combat Strength on all Units

Now, here's the cool part: those FIMS (Food, Industry, Money, Science) bonuses are flat. What that means is they're super strong early on when your cities are small, but they don't scale as well later. For instance, an early game bonus of +9 Industry might take you a couple of districts to match. But in a huge late-game city, a +45 Industry bonus is easily countered by just one or two specialized districts. So, the player actually gets stronger relative to the AI as the game goes on!

That +2 Combat Strength bonus is no joke, though. It's like giving every AI unit a special ability. You absolutely want to avoid fighting early on, like, at least until the Classical or Medieval era. Once the game progresses, picking up the Professional Soldiers Civic and leaning into the Homeland ideology will help even the playing field.

The stability bonus is a bit trickier to pin down, but it probably works similarly – stronger early on and less impactful later as you get more ways to boost stability. Your best bet here is to focus on trading for luxury resources to keep your cities happy.

So, the general game plan is:

1. Avoid early wars: Seriously, don't start fights until at least the Classical era, usually Medieval.
2. Trade for luxuries: Keep those stability numbers up by wheeling and dealing.
3. Go wide, not tall: Grab early cultures like Agrarian and Builder. Expanding your empire is key to scaling into the late game when the AI's bonuses start to fade.
4. Focus on Stars/Fame: That's how you win! The more stars you rack up, the better your chances.